Ofsted's new framework places absurd demands on inspectors. For that, it should be graded "exceptional"
Image: Alamy
New inspection framework will see inspectors expected to make more than 300 evaluative judgements during a two-day inspection of a primary school, two experienced former inspectors have calculated.
Absurdity takes many forms in education, never more so than in Ofsted’s new inspection framework. On its new grading scale the level of absurdity should be graded “exceptional”; it is far from “secure”.
That exceptional absurdity, beginning with the renewal of school inspections in November, takes a variety of forms.
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By Colin Richards and Frank Norris for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 13 October 2025
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